Swapped Luggage, Shared Baggage
by OnlyHim
Summary: Steve barges his way into Danny's life - what else is new? Danny is powerless to stop him, but maybe he'll find out that he never really wanted to.
1. Chapter 1

_This is AU, and I allowed myself to stray a lot from canon. It's possible that the way I wrote them could be considered OoC, but it was a conscious decision because I considered that if their lives had been different maybe they would be, too. I think that I didn't overdo it and they're still very recognizable - I hope I'm not wrong about this. I'd be more than happy to discuss this decision or my thought process in creating this in comments if anyone is interested._

 _I've already finished writing this, so I will post until the end. It's not very long and I intended to update frequently._

 _This started from a prompt that I saw on tumblr a while ago: accidentally taking each other's bags. It kinda grew from there, lol._

 _Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy it! =)_

* * *

"What the ever-loving fuck?"

Danny had gotten back from his trip to New Jersey the previous evening, but due to the difference in time zones, he'd been wrecked and went straight to bed without bothering to open his suitcase. Now, after a few hours sleep, a shower and a healthy dose of coffee, he started the boring process of unpacking. He absolutely did not expect the surprise he got.

"There's a whole fucking arsenal in here!" Danny exclaimed to himself, shocked with the strange sight in front of him.

Inside what was supposed to be his bag, there was a vast array of firearms, ammo, grenades, even a bullet-proof vest. Figuring that in his tired state he'd grabbed the wrong bag wasn't hard. Trying to imagine who the fuck would have this amount of weaponry with them was another thing altogether. He looked for a tag, to see if he could find a reasonable answer to that question. _Lt Cdr Steven J. McGarrett._ Oh, okay, now it made more sense. The psycho traveling with half the firepower in the whole state of Hawaii was in the army. There was an address there, too, so Danny assumed he should take it there and with any luck he'd be able to get his bag back. He went to his closet to find better clothes than the current stained sweatpants and old, slightly torn T-shirt he was wearing. He was putting on a shirt when someone started banging way more loudly than strictly necessary on his door.

"Just a second, I'll be right there!" Danny shouted, but the banging didn't stop. "Alright, already, I get it!" He shouted louder, finishing buttoning up his shirt. He decided he couldn't stand the loud banging anymore, so he went to get the door with half his shirt still unbuttoned.

Danny had barely opened the door when a blur of a person barged in.

"Come on in, won't you?" Danny's voice was pure sarcasm.

"I assume you have my bag?" The stranger started darting his eyes around Danny's apartment. Well, probably not a stranger, he was most likely the psycho who'd taken Danny's bag. Who, by the way, looked even more like a psycho than Danny had previously thought.

The man stopped looking around the apartment, not having found the bag which was in Danny's bedroom, and finally bothered to look at Danny, something he hadn't done since he'd gotten there. And then his eyes landed on the part of Danny's chest that was still exposed under the half-open shirt. And they lingered, the expression in the man's eyes changing slightly. Danny quickly finished buttoning his shirt up, feeling his face blush.

Danny cleared his throat, a little uncomfortable. "If you're Steven McGarrett, then yeah, I do. And I assume that's mine." He pointed to the bag in the man's – Steve's – hand.

"If you're Danny Williams, then yeah, I do." The man had a ridiculous smile on his face, which he probably thought was charming. Danny didn't agree in the least. The fact that he'd felt something growing warm inside him had absolutely nothing to do with that, for sure.

"Yeah. Just give me that and I'll go get yours." Danny started reaching for his bag, but Steve pulled it away.

"I'd rather get my bag first."

"What, you're afraid I'm going to get mine and run away with yours, too? You're inside my freaking apartment. Uninvited, I might add."

"Yeah, well, there's a lot of sensitive material in there and I can never be too careful, you know."

"Yeah, I noticed," Danny huffed. "Fine, I'll go get it."

The man lifted up a hand. "Uh, if you don't mind, I should probably go get it myself."

"What the hell, man? You think I'm coming back here with one of your pieces in hand, force you out of my apartment?"

"Like I said, it's sensitive material. I'm responsible for it, so I should be the one handling it."

"Yeah, I noticed you were very responsible last night."

"It was a tiny lapse of judgement." At least Steve looked a little sheepish and embarrassed at that. "No need to make a big deal out of it. Now if you'll just allow me to correct that problem, I'll appreciate it and I'll be on my merry way and out of your face soon."

"Fine, come in here. It's in my bedroom."

Steve started moving towards the door Danny had pointed to, but Danny placed a not so light hand on his arm and held him still.

"I'll go first, if you don't mind."

Steve lifted his hands up in surrender. "Fine. We're a little defensive around here, aren't we?"

"You're the one who invaded my home. I think I have a right to try to maintain a little bit of my privacy."

"Whatever you say."

They got inside Danny's bedroom and Steve started looking all over the place again. Danny knew this time it had nothing to do with looking for the bag, which was right in front of them.

"Okay, here's your bag. You can leave now."

"You a cop?" Steve asked when his eyes landed on Danny's badge and gun on the bedside table.

"Wow, what gave it away? The Army sure taught you amazing investigative skills."

"It's the Navy. And I was just making conversation."

"No need. You're leaving."

"You don't want your bag, then?"

"I do. You're giving it to me, then you're leaving."

"Just a sec. I have to check if everything's still here first."

"You gotta be kidding me. You think I'd have taken something from your bag?"

"What? It's a legitimate concern. You're a cop, so you obviously know your way around guns. How can I be certain you wouldn't want something extra for yourself?"

"Unbelievable..." Danny muttered.

"Like I said, I'm responsible for what's in here. Can't have any of my weapons getting in the wrong hands."

"Fine, do whatever you have to do. Just do it fast and GO!"

"Someone's a little testy here. Got up on the wrong side of the bed?"

"No. Just had a psychotic Army guy violate my home before I even had time to get dressed and who's now gratuitously questioning my integrity." Danny didn't miss how Steve's eyes changed again when Danny mentioned getting dressed, and how he roamed his gaze up and down Danny's body. And the blush was back.

"Gratuitously? Nice vocabulary. And again, it's the Navy."

"Whatever."

Steve started going through the stuff in the bag, muttering under his breath, checking all the items inside. A few moments later he straightened up, looking satisfied.

"Good. It's all here. Here's your bag, Danny."

"Thank you. It was nice meeting you, now go." Danny wasn't above shoving the guy out the door. Which he'd already started doing.

Steve moved towards the door, bag in hand, and an overly pleased smile on his face. He stopped by the threshold and turned to look at Danny. His eyes lingered on Danny's angry face, his own showing a lopsided grin and a twinkle in his eyes.

"You wouldn't maybe want to go out with me, would you?"

"You're joking, right? What makes you think I'd want to spend more time with you?"

"Nothing, I guess. But you're hot, and I thought I'd ask. Can't blame a man for trying."

"Well, the answer is no. If I never see you again in my life, it will be too soon."

"Alright, suit yourself. You don't know what you're missing, though."

"I'm fairly certain I don't care."

"If you're sure. See you, Danny."

"I sincerely hope not." With that, Danny slammed the door on the other guy's face.

/~/~/

When Steve got back to his house after dropping off the weapons at the base – neglecting to inform about their brief misplacement, of course – the first thing he did was power up his laptop. He wanted to find out everything he could about Danny Williams. Of course that wasn't stalking, it was gathering intel. Nothing creepy about that, just something he'd been trained to do before a mission. What was the mission? Get into Danny's good graces. Or if that proved impossible – which was a fair possibility, given how their first encounter had gone – get him to go out with Steve anyway.

What had brought this on is that Steve couldn't get the man out of his head. The whole time from Danny's apartment to the base then back to his own house, he only thought about the blond, loud-mouthed, short but well-built and muscular and sexy and hot and... well, yeah, that's what he'd been thinking. Another thing he couldn't help but consider was that the man hadn't once said he was straight. He'd said no to the date, but never gave the obvious excuse if he was. Granted, that could just be because he was a private guy and didn't feel like sharing personal information with a stranger, but Steve liked to be optimistic. In his mind that meant the doors weren't completely closed and he'd stick with that.

So now he'd start the op. Get all the information he could online and complement that with some inside information. He was certain that gathering good intel would help him find a way to get to the guy.

It didn't take long for Steve to find Danny's records in the police. He found that he'd been transferred from New Jersey six months prior, after building an exceptional record there. It didn't say why he'd moved, though. He also found that the guy had been married, but was now divorced and he had a seven year old girl. A hunch made Steve look into the ex-wife and found that she'd remarried and moved to Hawaii. Steve wondered if that had been the reason for Danny's transfer. Well, that'd probably make for a good topic of conversation on their first date. Or maybe not. Even he knew that you don't talk about exes on first dates. But the daughter was probably fair game. Huh, he'd have to come back to that.

Well, that's all he could find online, but that was okay because his inside source had just arrived home.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey, Son. How's your first day back been?"

"Good. Still adjusting, I guess."

"Got the bag back?"

"Yeah. Got away with lying about it, too. Got it back to the base, no problems."

"Good. Not that I condone what you've done, but good. Want some dinner?"

"I was just about to go make some. You just relax, you look tired. Tough day?"

"Not particularly, just a lot of paperwork and dealings with IAB."

"IAB? What are they after?"

"They think there might be a mole in the department. Asked me all kinds of questions, wanted to start investigating everyone. I could only see what mess that'd be. I didn't have the easiest of times trying to get them to back down a little, thread lightly. I don't think the next few weeks will be a lot of fun."

"IAB is never fun. Hope they find who they want soon and leave you alone."

"Me, too. Although I'm not too happy considering who it might be, if there is someone. I don't like the idea of someone screwing around under my nose."

"I can imagine that, but I'm sure that whoever it is, they're good at erasing their tracks. You're the best captain that department has ever seen, it isn't just about anyone who could get the better of you."

Steve was now in the process of slicing vegetables while stir-frying some chicken. He looked back at his dad, who was nursing a beer, looking somewhat more relaxed but still tired. He wondered if maybe he should wait for a better time, but he was never too good at impulse control.

"So, dad, do you happen to know a Danny Williams?"

John stopped to think for a while. "Uh, yeah. Haole detective, transferred from the mainland a few months ago, if I'm not mistaken."

"Know any particulars about him?"

"Not much. Just that he's not having it very easy adapting. The men in the department are a lot more prejudiced than I'd ever imagined. They're not taking the haole's presence there very well. He seems to get along with his partner, though."

"Anything else?"

"No, nothing that I can think of." John was leaning forward on the central counter of the kitchen, slightly slumped and seemingly uninterested. Then he straightened, his eyes sharpened and he focused on Steve. "Why do you ask?"

"Uh, no reason." The vegetables Steve had been slicing had become very interesting, so much so he wouldn't dare take his eyes off them. It's not that he minded talking to his dad about this kind of stuff. A lot. It's just that he wasn't in the sharing stage yet.

"Steve, you can maybe lie your way with your CO in the Navy, but I'm your old man. I know you. What about this guy?"

"Okay, he may have been the one who had my bag and I may have found him... interesting."

"Ah. You ask him out?"

"Yeah. He said no."

"Oh, wow, whatever could he mean by that? If he's not interested, why you still asking about him?"

"Because... I'm not prepared to give up on him just yet."

"Hm, so you're a lot interested."

"He's just a nice guy, okay?" Steve paused, remembering his earlier encounter. "Okay, maybe nice isn't the right word. He was rude, insulting, brusque and practically threw me out of his place. But there's just... something about him."

"He's hot." John put bluntly.

"You think he's hot?" Steve asked, surprised and a little bit curious.

"How would I know? I'm not gay. But I know you."

"Yes, I think he is very, very, very hot. But it's not just that. He's fiery and hot-headed..."

"So you think he'd be hot in bed." More bluntness.

"Dad!"

"What? It's a fair thing to ask."

"I'm not answering that."

"Fair enough. You already have, anyway."

"Fine," Steve huffed. "But it's not just that either. He got to me. I don't know why, but he got to me. And I want to see him again."

"Why don't you go down by the station one day? Pretend your visiting me and try to talk to him again."

"Dad, that's a great idea." Steve squeezed his father's shoulder and went back to finishing dinner.

/~/~/

The next day, Steve got to the station around 11 am. He found a hidden spot behind a tree and prepared himself to wait until Danny left. He'd just run into him, pretend it was an accident and try to engage in less aggressive conversation.

Danny only left five hours later. Steve quickly moved so it would seem that he was coming from the opposite direction. He pretended to be distracted and bumped into Danny.

"Oh, sorry, I-" Danny started, but then he saw who was there and the expression on his face changed immediately. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Hey, relax, I just came to see my dad. It's not like I'm following you."

"Oh, right. John McGarrett. I should've made the connection."

"Not very good detective work of you, huh?"

"It was nice to see you, Steve," Danny said sounding like he meant the opposite. He was already starting to walk past Steve.

"A little late to take your lunch break, huh?" Steve said before Danny could leave.

"This isn't my lunch break, I had lunch at my d- Hey, how do you know I didn't leave before?"

"I, um, it's just... um..." Dammit. This wasn't how he'd planned this.

"So you are following me."

Steve thought he could see smoke coming out of the other man's ears and he was pretty sure his nostrils were flaring. So much for aiming for less aggressive.

"No, I wasn't. Don't flatter yourself. I was inside the station the whole time, I just left for a little while now." Good save, Steve.

"If you were inside the station, how come I didn't see you?"

"I don't know, maybe I was far from your desk."

"If so, how do you know I hadn't left before?"

"I was by the door. I could see who came and went."

"My desk _is_ by the door."

Fuck.

"I... uh... Maybe you were just distracted?" Steve tried, fumbling for any excuse he could think of.

"Oh, my god, you really are a psycho. Certifiably so. And now you're stalking me."

"I'm _not_ stalking you. I swear, it was just a coincid..." Oh, fuck it. There was no way to save it now. "Fine. I did come here to see you. But there's nothing creepy about that, I just wanted another chance to talk to you. Maybe get you to change your mind about that date."

"Oh, you did change my mind. Yesterday my answer was a simple no. Now it's 'not even if you were the last person on Earth and the only way to stay alive was to go on a date with you'."

Ouch. That _really_ wasn't how he'd planned this.

"Come on, Danny, just-"

"I'm going, Steven. I'd say don't come here again, but unfortunately I can't keep you from seeing your father. But I swear to god, if you ever try to talk to me again..."

"Fine, I get it." Dammit. That had been a massive failure. Steve was usually a lot better at planning ops.

/~/~/

"Of course that went wrong, Steven. What the hell, I said drop by the station, not stake out the damn place." John was standing in front of the couch were Steve was slumped, a bottle of beer in his hand.

"I was trying to make it look casual, but also meeting him on neutral ground. I figured he'd be more relaxed if he wasn't surrounded by all those men who are already judging him."

"Oh, and how did that work out for you?"

Steve just sighed and leaned forward, elbows on his knees and head buried in his hands. "What do I do now?" He lifted his head up again to look at his father.

"Nothing. You let it go."

"I don't want to let it go. If anything, I want him even more now."

"You always were too stubborn. That's not always a good thing, you know? What is it with this guy, anyway?"

"I don't know, he's just... I just need a chance, okay? I know we'll get along if I can just get him to know me a little better."

"Yeah, you're doing a great job at that."

Steve groaned and buried his head in his hands again.

Steve lay in his bed trying to get to sleep. He couldn't stop thinking about Danny, trying desperately to find another way to talk to the man. He kept coming up empty. But he wouldn't let this go, couldn't. He'd have to find a way. He didn't know why, but he knew Danny was special. Vivacious, exciting, provoking. He could do with someone like that in his life. Of course, he'd had plenty of excitement in the Navy, but in his relationships... Let's just say that in that department action was... wanting, for lack of a better word. It's not that he'd always been alone, he'd had his share of one-night stands, sometimes even the brief affair here and there. But he'd never had someone who meant something. He wanted to be with someone that he wanted for who they were, not just to keep him some company or provide some empty warmth. And Danny, he was all about warmth, but the real kind. A fire that came from within and seemed all consuming and all Steve could think about is how much he wanted to be consumed and wiped out by that fire, be brought down to ashes and then be reborn, start over, a new person, better, less damaged, less jaded... Someone worthy of someone like Danny...

Oh, god, this man was really messing with his head. He was going all poetic now?... and willing to admit and consider things he'd much rather ignore and pretend weren't real or relevant. And how did Steve even know if Danny was special or not, that he needed to be worthy of him? Except Steve did. Somehow, he knew. Something in Danny's eyes, something in the way he talked... And that's exactly why he wouldn't give up.


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning came and Steve still hadn't had any brilliant ideas. He figured that staying inside doing nothing wasn't going to help, so he decided he'd go out, swim a few miles. When that didn't help, he thought that maybe leaving the house, run a few errands would do him good, change the scenery and all that.

Now he'd done all that and he still hadn't come up with anything. He was driving back home, discouraged and even slightly depressed. It wasn't like him to get down like this, but he had no clue what to do and the need to see Danny hadn't diminished in the slightest.

He was distracted with his thoughts when he suddenly noticed that the light had changed. He slammed his foot on the break, but the car didn't stop fast enough and he hit the car in front of him. He cursed and started to get out of the car when he saw who was coming out of the other car. He stilled for a moment, trying to think of the best way to approach this development. If the man hated him before, now... He decided there was nothing he could do but face the music, so he took a deep breath and got out.

"Oh, no. This can't be happening." Danny looked a mixture of exasperated, annoyed and disbelieving. "It can't be you again."

"Danny, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Didn't I fucking tell you to stop stalking me?" The man was enraged. Not that Steve could blame him.

"No, Danny, I swear, I wasn't. This truly was an accident."

"So even when you're not trying to make my life hell, you're still making my life hell?"

Steve looked embarrassed and sheepish, but didn't reply. He didn't know what to say.

"Oh, now you're quiet." Danny threw his hands up in the air and huffed out a breath of air. "I'm not so sure I believe you didn't do this on purpose."

"I didn't, Danny. I swear. I swear on my life. My dad's life. My sister's life."

Danny still looked mad, but it seemed like he was trying to hide an amused smile. At least that's what Steve hoped that was.

"Not on your mother's? People usually swear on their mother's life."

Maybe Steve preferred not-amused Danny.

"I, uh... I don't have a mother."

"Oh, shit. I'm sorry."

"It's okay." It wasn't, not really. He briefly wondered how long it'd take for that to stop being a sore subject. Considering it'd been eighteen years, he thought that probably forever. Anyway, he was trying to seduce the guy, so he figured he should be nice. "Don't worry about it."

Danny stared at him for a moment and Steve feared he'd add something to that, but Danny seemed to think better of it.

"Well, I think now I have no choice but talk to you." Danny was now looking at the car, accessing the damage. "I need your insurance information."

"Yeah, sure." Steve reached for his wallet, accessing the damage, too. It wasn't anything too serious, just your average fender-bender, even if Steve was driving a massive pick-up truck and Danny a sports car. "I can take care of all the arrangements for you, if you want." Steve handed Danny his insurance card.

"Why should I trust you to do that?"

"Because you know my father? It's the least I can do, the accident was my fault, after all." Plus, it'd be a great excuse to get Danny's phone number and force him to talk to him.

"Are you sure you're not offering just so you'd have an excuse to get my number and force me to talk to you?"

"Of course not!" Steve tried to infuse his voice with enough outrage that it would hide the truth. "I'm just trying to be nice, alright? I figured I owe you for the way I behaved the other times we met."

"Fine, whatever. I have enough on my plate already, that would actually be helpful."

"Perfect! That will give me something useful to do with my time and I'll start making it up to you."

"No, no. Not _start_. After this is over we're done. No more stalking, no more accidents, no more interactions whatsoever."

"Fine, if that's what you want."

"Yes, that's what I want. I'd think I'd made that clear already."

"Yes, you have. I'm sorry I've been so insistent."

"I don't feel particularly inclined to accept your apology."

"You're a piece of work, Detective Williams."

"Yeah, you're one to talk." Danny had finished writing Steve's information down and his own phone number and was distracted handing the card and the number over to Steve. "Wait a second." He stopped mid-movement. "How the hell do you know I'm a detective? I never told you that."

"Shit," Steve muttered under his breath. "Uh, yeah, right, about that..."

"You asked your father, didn't you? You asked your father about me."

"I, well... Maybe?"

"Un-freaking-believable."

"I said I'm sorry, alright? I won't do anything like that anymore. I'll leave you alone now."

"Somehow I'm having a very hard time believing that." Danny handed everything back to Steve and got in his car before Steve could say anything else.

/~/~/

Steve wasn't one to believe in divine intervention, but he couldn't help but feel blessed. He had a great excuse to talk to Danny now, and he didn't intend to waste it. He'd called the garage and made arrangements to take his and Danny's cars there on the weekend, and now he was going to call Danny to tell him about it. Hopefully he'd also get to talk to him some more. He was staring at the phone in his hands, trying to come up with ways to keep the other man on the line for longer.

"Steve, this is getting out of hand."

Steve startled when his dad appeared right behind him. He hadn't noticed him coming down the stairs, which was telling, as he'd been trained to notice any sort of movement around him.

"What? I'm not doing anything."

"Oh, no? So the reason you're staring at that phone is not because you're planning different ways to keep that poor man talking to you longer?"

"How do you-"

"Steve, I've been around a while and I know a thing or two about relationships. Plus, I know you and that determined look you get on your face when you're planning an op and preparing to execute it."

"How would you know? I've never planned or executed any military ops around you."

"Who said anything about military?" John winked at his son, an amused smile on his face. "You forget you're my son, Steve. You may have been away a while, but I saw you growing up, dealing with puberty and your teens. I know all your moves."

"I wouldn't think you had noticed much, considering..." Steve trailed off, already regretting having broached that subject. Danny must be really messing with his head if Steve had let something like that slip by.

John got this strained look and didn't say anything. Steve not only regretted saying something because this had always been kind of an off-limits subject, but also because he felt bad. He didn't want to put any blame of what had happened on his father, or make him feel guilty.

John took a deep breath. "Listen, I know things changed when your mother left. I know I got distant and didn't treat you guys as well as I should have. But that doesn't mean I wasn't watching you, that I wasn't paying attention. I just didn't know what to do about what I was seeing at the time."

Steve gazed intently into his dad's eyes and a soft smile spread over his face. Maybe broaching the subject hadn't been so bad after all, because it had opened up the chance for Steve to finally say something about it all, too. He hadn't know what to do about the whole thing either at the time. "You're doing pretty well now, dad. I'm happy we've been talking, finally sharing things. It's never too late." Steve's smile grew bigger, and he hoped, reassuring. "And there was no lasting damage. Well, not from you, anyways."

"Yeah, I know your mother leaving did a number on you. On all of us. But we ended up doing just fine without her, didn't we?" John put a hand on Steve's shoulder and squeezed.

"We certainly did." Steve felt the impulse to place his own hand on top of his dad's, but he held back. He wasn't sure they were there, yet. But he did realize that what he'd just said was the absolute truth. He'd probably never forgive his mother, but his father was being enough of a parent for the both of them.

"Okay, back to the matter at hand. What are you telling Danny?"

"Oh, god, I don't know. I got my work cut out for me. I just keep screwing up, every time I talk to him."

"You're trying too hard. Just try to keep it simple."

"How?" Steve was starting to get slightly desperate and he knew it showed on his face.

"What arrangements did you make with the garage?"

"We're supposed to take our cars there on Saturday."

"Okay. Why don't you offer to take his for him, so he won't have the trouble?"

"Why would he let me drive his car?"

"Oh, Steve, you can be very persuasive when you want to be."

"Fine, whatever. I'll try."

Steve found Danny's number in his contacts, took a deep breath and tapped dial. He tapped his fingers on the table while he waited for Danny to pick it up.

 _"Williams."_

"Uh, hi, Danny, it's Steve McGarrett."

 _"Hello, bane of my existence. Did you make the arrangements for my car?"_

Steve wasn't sure if he was upset or amused. "Yeah, I did. They expect us to take them there on Saturday."

 _"Oh. Okay."_ Danny sounded disappointed.

"What, is that a problem? I can change it if you want."

 _"No, it's just that I have my daughter this weekend, but that's okay. I'll find a way to make it work."_

Okay, that was the perfect opening. "I could take your car for you, if you want..."

 _"You really think I'd trust you to drive my car?"_

"Look, despite what you might think, I'm an excellent driver."

 _"What I might think with irrefutable evidence, you mean, considering the very reason my car is going to the garage is you and your reckless driving."_

"Okay, maybe we haven't had the best experience together, but I promise you I'll be careful. I was just a little distracted that day."

 _"You know what? I could spend hours arguing this point with you, but I'm not particularly happy with the idea of wasting hours of my Saturday when I could be enjoying it with my daughter. You, however, deserve the punishment and_ should _have your whole Saturday wasted. So fine, you can take it there."_

"Great. You won't regret this, Danny, I promise."

 _"I find this hard to believe, but I don't really have a choice."_

"Okay, so how do you wanna do this? Can I drop by your house and pick it up for you?"

 _"Yeah, that'd be fine. I'm supposed to get my daughter at her mother's at 8, so you can be here around 8:30."_

"I could take you there. Then you can see for yourself how great of a driver I am."

 _"You're joking, right? I don't want you anywhere near my daughter."_

"What are you afraid I'm gonna do? Kidnap her? Kill her with my bare hands?"

 _"Considering the amount of weaponry you had in your bag, I wouldn't put either of those things past you."_

"Oh, my god. That was just me returning all my service weapons to the base before I was officially discharged. No reason to get all freaked out about it."

 _"I'm not freaked out. I just don't think you're someone I can trust. Especially not around my baby girl."_

"Fine, have it your way. I'll be at your place at 8:30. Just give me the address."

Steve hung up the phone with a sigh, and found his dad staring at him.

"What?" Steve snapped.

"Not so sure I could say this went well given you were talking about killing people, but at least you got the conversation to last for a while." John smirked and Steve threw a dish towel at his face.


	3. Chapter 3

Saturday morning arrived and Steve was actually nervous. He didn't want to screw things up with Danny any more than he'd already done, but judging by every other encounter they'd had, that seemed almost impossible. He really didn't use to be so bad, but Danny just kept throwing him. Maybe his father was right, maybe he was trying too hard. Maybe he should just do what he'd promised, take care of Danny's car and let it go. For a while. It wasn't like him to give up on things and he wasn't about to start doing it now.

Steve got to Danny's house at 8:29. At least that he could do. His father had been kind enough to drive with him so he could take the truck to the garage while Steve drove Danny's car. That would save him some trouble.

Danny was already at the door when Steve got out of the car. He waved at John, having recognized him even from inside the car. Steve thanked his dad and turned to Danny while John drove off.

"You're punctual. I like that," Danny said as a greeting.

"Wait, I must have heard wrong. Did you actually just say that you _like_ something about me?"

"Of course you heard wrong, I'd never do such thing." Danny had an amused smile on his face, and Steve hated how beautiful that made him look. "No, I have my daughter with me." Danny nodded towards the house. "That always puts me in a good mood."

"Huh. Must remember to meet you when you're with her more often."

"Don't even, Steven. There won't be any meeting again after this. You'd do well to remember that." Danny pointed a finger at Steve's face, but his tone didn't have its usual bite.

"Fine." Steve put his hands up in a peace offering. "I'll just take your car, bring it back at the end of the day and that's the last you'll ever see of me."

"That'd better be it. I mean it."

"Yes, Daniel."

Danny threw Steve a measured look and Steve tried not to squirm under it. Seriously, what was it with this man? Steve felt like a teenager who'd been naughty and was afraid of his father's reaction, not the Navy SEAL he used to be who could take on pretty much anything and anyone.

After staring at Steve for a long while, Danny fished his keys from his pants pocket and handed them to Steve.

"This better be in a better condition when you bring it back than it is now."

"Don't worry, Danny, I'll take good care of your car. And I know this garage, we've been taking our cars there since we first moved here. We trust them 100%."

"That's good. Let me know when you're coming back, okay?"

"I will."

/~/~/

The thing was, Danny didn't hate Steve nearly as much as he pretended he did. Quite the opposite, in fact, which was why he always acted as if he did around him. As much as he hated to admit it, the guy had made an impression on him, even after that first insane encounter. Sure, the guy seemed to be a lunatic with no sense of personal space and what should pass as proper behavior when living in society, but he was also... Well, freaking gorgeous, for one, but that wasn't it. There was something else. Something that had made Danny feel instantly attracted to him, and not just in a physical way. It's like Steve had some sort of pull on Danny, and Danny just wanted to be close to him, know more about him.

The more Danny felt like that – which was every time they met, the feeling just seemed to get stronger and stronger – the more he felt the need to push Steve away. Danny just couldn't afford to let himself be pulled in like that, because he knew what would happen. He knew he'd get in too deep, allow himself to get too involved, and that could only end in heartbreak. It had happened once and it was bound to happen again. Only this time he wouldn't even have a beautiful little girl to show for it, just pieces of his smashed up, betrayed and lonely heart.

Danny knew Rachel hadn't meant to hurt him, that's just what happens when fire turns from passion into anger. But then she had to go and get remarried and drag him half way across the world if he wanted to be a part of his baby's life. And here he was, stuck in a place that would never feel like home, in a job that he still loved but had been made that much less enjoyable considering that most of the department hated him, only to be graced with the honor of spending a grand total of two days a week with his daughter – which would never, ever be enough.

But Danny would take what he could get, no matter how much he hated the situation he'd been put in. That also meant not getting himself into trouble and making his situation worse which in turn meant staying as far away from Steve McGarrett as he possibly could. So now he couldn't wait for this day to be over, for Steve to bring back his car and then never see him again. And hopefully forget how fucking much he wished he could see Steve again, many, many times.

It was a little after 5 pm and Danny was standing in front of his house waiting for Steve. He'd called ten minutes earlier saying he was on his way, so Danny decided to wait for him outside. Not that he was anxious to see Steve, of course not. He was letting the guy go after all, wasn't he?

Danny saw his car approaching, but no truck following. He waited for Steve to get out of the car before he asked.

"Your father didn't come with?"

"No, he had some things to do."

"Oh, okay." _Don't ask him about it, Daniel Williams, do not ask and do not make any offers._ "Everything okay at the garage?"

"Yep. Your car is in perfect working condition, pristine appearance. You can't even tell that something happened."

Danny went around the car, checking for any remaining damage. There was nothing at all. The car looked absolutely perfect, almost better than it was before the acciden- Wait a minute... "Did you get my car washed?"

"Yes, I did."

Danny stared at Steve, not sure what to say, then back at the car. Oh, no. "You got it waxed, too. And the interior has been detailed. Very thoroughly, from what I can see."

"Yep."

"Why?"

"Just figured I should do something nice for you."

"Uh-huh." Danny was a little suspicious, he was getting used to Steve's tactics and he knew the guy was just trying, again, to soften him into going out with him. It most definitely wasn't working. At all.

Danny took a deep breath. He could do it, he could stay in control. "Well, thank you." Good. No caving.

"You're welcome."

Steve had a ridiculously innocent look on his face, as if he hadn't planned the whole thing. Which Danny knew, from the start. He knew that the whole 'just want to be nice and take the car for you' was another attempt at manipulation, but he was never a fan of losing any time with his daughter, so he thought it was worth it. It's not like he couldn't control himself. Because he could. Of course he could.

Danny looked around at the empty space behind his parked car. _Don't do this, Danny. Just don't._

"You, uh..." _Come on, man, you've been good. Just keep your cool, don't lose ground now._ "I guess your car is still at the garage?"

"Uh, yeah, I'm gonna go back there now. Just gonna take a cab."

 _Stop it, Daniel. Keep quiet._

"Maybe I could..." _Don't fucking do this, man! Don't!_ "I could give you a lift." _God dammit, Danny!_

"Nah, it's okay. It was my fault, my responsibility. I can go on my own."

 _That's great, he just gave you an out. Take it!_

"I was going to take Gracie for some shave ice anyway, I could drop you off..." _"Way to fucking go, you idiot._

"Okay. Thank you."The most ridiculous, goofy, beautiful smile appeared on Steve's face and Danny totally didn't melt at that.

Fuck.

Everyone was settled in the car, Grace all strapped in her seat belt, Steve practically jumping on his seat. Danny pretended he didn't notice. He also pretended not to notice how sweet Steve had been when Danny had introduced him to Grace, kneeling down to talk to her, all kind smiles and joking around until she relaxed around him and started smiling back. He definitely couldn't notice that, otherwise it would mean that Steve would have achieved his goal of softening Danny up beyond all recognition. What Danny couldn't help but notice, however, was everything happening on the dash of the car.

"You filled the tank."

"Yes, I did."

"You didn't have to."

"I know. Just wanted to be nice."

Stupid innocent look. The asshole.

Danny kept looking. The light that had been blinking for over two weeks wasn't anymore. "You changed the oil, too."

"Yep."

"Why?"

"I feel like I'm repeating myself here, but again, just wanted to be nice."

"Uh-huh." _Come on, Williams, you know what he's doing. You know he's just trying to manipulate you. You don't want to be with someone that thinks manipulation is an acceptable way of wooing someone. Just ignore the fact that it's working and you're definitely wooed._ Do not _cave._ "Uh, anything else you've done with my car that I should know?"

"I, uh, filled up the wiper fluid. And changed the transmission fluid. Oh, and I got the breaks checked. They're fine, no need to do anything for another few months."

"You- Seriously? Don't you think you may be overdoing it a little?"

"Look, Danny, I heard you before, okay? I won't go after you anymore, I won't try anything again. But I know I came on a little strong and I wanted to do something nice to make up for it. You said you didn't want me to do anything aside getting your car in order, so..."

"You know damn well that's not what I meant."

"Yes, I know. But it's the only thing I could do. The _least_ I could do. So just accept it, please, and I'll be on my way. I promise I'll let this go. And even if I go visit my dad at the station, I'll look the other way so that you don't even have to say hello. How's that?"

Danny stared at Steve, trying to figure out if he was being honest. He was pretty sure he wasn't, but Danny still had to try to suppress an uncomfortable feeling in his chest at the possibility that Steve did mean it and they would never talk again.

They'd arrived at the garage by then and Danny watched as Steve said goodbye to Grace. He was even sweeter now than he'd been before, if that was even possible. Danny got out of the car to talk to Steve. Maybe if he said it out loud it would make it easier to let the whole thing go.

"Look, I know what you're trying to do. I know you think that if you're nice enough I'll change my mind and go out with you. And you may think this is all fair game, but it's not. You're trying to buy me, and even worse, trying to manipulate me by using my daughter. That's not the way to do it, Steve."

"Danny..." Steve looked like he was searching for the right words, or better, the best words to make it seem like Danny hadn't been right about everything he'd just said. At least it would help Danny feel a little bit stronger about the need to let this go. "You're right, okay?"

Oh. Danny wasn't expecting that. So much for feeling stronger.

"What?"

"You're right. I've been trying too hard and I kept doing it today even when I'd convinced myself I wouldn't. And yeah, that may have been a little manipulative, but..."

"But what, Steve? How can you make this turn out to be a good thing?"

"Just because I may not be playing fair, it doesn't mean that the desire to be with you isn't sincere. I may be pushing too far to get you to change your mind, but I'm not playing you _._ I am honestly interested in you. I want to get to know you. I... I just wanted a chance to do that."

 _Fuck. Do. Not. Cave._

"And for the record... Using a child is going too far even for me. Grace is just really sweet and I wanted to be nice to her. It had nothing to do with any of this. Honest."

Danny just stared at Steve and this time he really couldn't see a teeny shred of dishonesty in Steve's eyes. Danny just stood there, not knowing what to say.

Steve kept his gaze on Danny for a while, looking sad, but not in a 'disappointed that he'd lost the game' way, but in a 'I wish you'd give me a chance' way. "Bye, Danny. I guess I won't see you around."

 _Fuck, Danny, don't let this get to you. You know better. Do not cave._

"Fine. One beer." Danny caved.

/~/~/

Steve could barely contain his excitement on the drive back home. Danny had finally agreed to go out with him and Steve couldn't be happier. Of course, he chose not to pay too much attention to all the conditions Danny had imposed: _'We're not going to a restaurant. The setting can't be romantic in any way, shape or form. It can't be a hook-up bar, either. You're gonna find the most neutral bar on the island, and that's where we're gonna go. For_ _one_ _beer. One. A single one. Nothing else. Got it?'_

Yes, Steve got it. But he didn't care. That was his chance and this time he wasn't going to do anything stupid. He wasn't going to go overboard, he wasn't going to scare Danny away. He was going to be his most charming self and get Danny to relax and agree to go out with him again. And again. And again and again and again.


	4. Chapter 4

One beer turned into two plus two sodas – they had both driven there after all – and by now they'd been in the bar for almost three hours. At this point Danny didn't care how many drinks he was having, he was just trying to make them last as much as possible so he wouldn't have to leave. Not that it really mattered, he'd already lost face when he agreed on the second one, and the third and the fourth, and Steve knew it, judging by the annoyingly smug look on his face. And Danny should be bothered by that, he really should, but he was enjoying himself too much and god knows it had been forever since he'd felt like that. For months the only joy in his life had been Grace, and he barely spent any time with her. He only had the one friend on the island, and even before getting here things had been pretty miserable for him, dealing with the divorce and all that. So, yeah, he thought he was entitled to a little fun.

And god was Steve fun. He was handsome, charming, smart, funny, entertaining – even if half the stories he tried to tell ended in the middle when he realized they were 'classified'. There was still a little voice in the back of Danny's head telling him that he couldn't let that happen, he couldn't get involved, but Danny ignored it, thinking that it would be okay, he'd just talk a little, laugh a little and he'd move on soon. No big deal. The voice was a little bit louder when it said that this would never work, but Danny was too busy paying attention to Steve to listen.

"So, you never told me why you left the Navy," Danny asked.

"I was discharged."

Danny just stared at Steve, waiting for the rest of the answer. After a while Steve sighed and kept going.

"I got hurt. Banged my head pretty hard during a mission. Nothing particularly serious, but I lost some of my peripheral vision. It doesn't affect day to day life much, but it would compromise activity in the field. It could put myself or my team mates in danger. So I got an honorable discharge and now I'm here."

Steve gave Danny a smile that felt a little bit forced, and Danny felt that there was a lot more to that story, but he could clearly tell that he wasn't getting the rest of it. Whatever it was, it seemed to bother Steve, so Danny decided not to push it. A change of subject seemed more appropriate.

"So you just decided to enjoy your retirement as a permanent vacation in Hawaii?"

"Oh, no, I couldn't stand that. I can never stay still for too long. I'm going to be a personal trainer with a focus in hand-to-hand combat and self-defence. I was just taking a couple weeks, getting the word out. Dad's helping out with that. In fact, I have three clients lined up already. We're starting next week."

"Hm. That sounds good."

"We'll see. I don't know if that will be excitement enough for me. But it will be a different experience. I'll get to help people in a different way, help them be less vulnerable to attacks." Steve paused, as if thinking about what he was going to say next. "One of my new clients is a woman. I was a little concerned about that when she first called, to be honest, I haven't worked closely to women in six years, all the time I've been a SEAL. But then she told me why she wanted the classes and it changed my mind completely. She'd almost been attacked one day, on the street, and if it hadn't been for a police cruiser passing by at that exact moment..." Steve paused again, and this time he got this sort of haunted expression, as if he could see what was going to happen to that woman. "She just wants to be safer. And that got me thinking, you know... That's always been my job. Keeping people safe. Now I'll just be teaching them how to do it for themselves. I don't know, it could be very gratifying. At least I'll still be useful. " Steve shrugged, which seemed to be a move to try and take away the importance of what he'd just said. Danny wasn't fooled for a second.

Somehow Danny got the impression that this wasn't something Steve normally did, talk so much about his thoughts, his personal experience. It was just something in the way he was carrying himself, the way he was talking, like some tension had been slowly easing out of him. His expression opened during the whole speech and Danny felt like he could see a little bit more of what was inside Steve. He felt honored that Steve had let that happen in front of him, and he also felt that he was getting a little bit more in trouble. Because this guy was even better than he'd thought. He was caring, and sensitive and just... beautiful. Danny realized that they'd been quiet for a while and now was probably the point where he should say something.

"Well, I hope it works out for you."

"Thank you. So do I."

Steve smiled that bone melting smile of his and clinked his glass against Danny's.

They talked for another hour, which meant that it was now after midnight. Danny had to try to keep a little of his composure, and even though it was hard – a lot harder than he thought it would be – he took the first opening he had to say goodbye.

"Okay, as much fun as this has been, I think it's time we call it a night." Danny pushed his chair back.

Steve leaned forward, all winning smiles and smug looks. "Oh, so you thought this was fun after all."

"Don't ruin it, Steven. Being all smug and asshole-y about it doesn't help your case."

Danny was getting ready to get up, but he stopped short when he saw the look on Steve's face. Danny had meant it as a joke, but Steve immediately sobered and the smile was gone in a flash. He felt pretty bad about it, because he _had_ had fun, and Steve had been nothing but nice and agreeable the entire night.

"Yes, Steve, I had fun. More than I thought I would. Better?"

Just like that the goofy smile was back in place and Danny tried to pretend that didn't make him warm all over. He got up before he could say anything stupid.

"Yes, that's better." Steve followed Danny out. "Come on, I'll walk you to your car."

"You don't have to. I can find my way just fine."

"Excuse me, but my dad raised me to be a gentleman. And a gentleman walks their date back to the car."

"I see. Somehow I think this is a lot less about being a gentleman than about hoping for a goodnight kiss."

Danny tried very hard not to notice the sweet smile and hopeful twinkle in Steve's eyes, because if he did it would break him. Fact was, he wanted to kiss Steve. He wanted to kiss Steve so badly he could barely take it. But he had to keep some control or next thing he knew he'd be drowning again.

Danny took a deep breath and tried not to look Steve in the eye. "Either way, this wasn't a date yet, so sorry, but no kiss." Danny chanced a glance up, worried about what he might see and was surprised when the hope was still there.

"Yet? Does that mean we can do this again?"

Shit. Danny hadn't even noticed that slip, and now Steve had this huge, pleading eyes fixed on him, as if his whole happiness was hanging on Danny saying yes. Try saying no to that, Danny would dare anyone.

"I don't know. Maybe."

"Well, can I call you?"

Oh, god. Danny was helpless against those eyes.

"Yes, you can call me."

"Okay." Ridiculous smile again. "I will." Seriously, man, just go and take your stupid, gut-melting smile with you. "Bye, Danny. Talk soon."

"Yeah. Bye, Steve." Danny got in the car as fast as he could without being rude, before he changed his mind about that kiss.

/~/~/

They did go out again. Wednesday night, then Sunday morning, taking Grace to the zoo – and really, as if Danny hadn't been having enough of a difficult time resisting Steve already – and now Friday night. It was getting harder and harder for Danny to keep himself away from Steve and his ridiculously attractive self, which was why he had – against his better judgement – invited Steve in this time. That was also why he now found himself pressed against a wall, Steve's delicious, hot, wet mouth on his, making Danny forget how the whole thinking thing worked.

"Oh, god, Steve," Danny moaned, breathless, his whole body burning up.

Steve was sucking on Danny's neck, without a doubt leaving a mark, but Danny couldn't care less. Danny had a firm grasp on Steve's shoulders, pulling him as close as possible, grinding against him and going completely out of his mind. Clearly holding out had not been the best idea, because now he had all this pent up energy, desperate to be released.

Steve had one hand on Danny's neck, the other on his hip keeping them glued together. Danny was going to go insane, he was, he was sure of it.

"Fuck, Danny." Steve's voice was muffled, coming from the part of Danny's neck Steve was currently busy licking and nipping at. "You're killing me here." Steve moved up to attack Danny's mouth again, kissing Danny's brains out, making him tingle and tremble all the way down to his toes.

Danny moved his hands to Steve's chest, intending to push him away but only managing to bring him in closer. He had very few brain cells left in working condition, and he was trying to keep hold of them with all his might. After a very long time – because honestly, who could have that magic tongue doing the most delicious things inside their mouths and be strong enough to cut the kiss short – Danny finally managed to put enough distance between them and get Steve's lips detached from his.

"Steve..." Danny could barely talk, completely out of breath. He was turned on beyond belief and everything in him was telling his mouth that there was only one thing it should be doing at the moment, and it was definitely not talking. Okay, maybe there were two things, but he definitely couldn't think about the second one, or he'd come in his pants right then and there. "Steve, we should..." Danny tried again. He knew he had to do this. He was having a very hard time remembering why at the moment, but he knew he had to do this. "We need to stop. We need to take this slow."

Steve bowed his head, resting it on Danny's shoulder, taking several deep breaths. His grip on Danny was still strong.

"Okay." Steve let out a shuddering breath and loosened his grip a little, lifting his head and resting his forehead against Danny's. "Okay, you're right. I'm sorry. I got carried away."

"It's okay." Danny was trying to will his body to calm down. "It's not like you're the only one going out of control here."

"And I cannot even begin to tell you how happy I am about that." Steve let out a laugh that blew over Danny's lips, making him shiver. "Okay, um... I should probably go."

"Yeah," Danny breathed out, his voice still shaking a little. He had a tight grip on Steve's shirt.

"Uh, Danny, you do realize that if you want me to leave you're gonna have to let me go."

Danny looked down as if he was only now realizing what he was doing. "Right, yeah." He kept his hold a while longer, reluctant to let Steve go. Why was he doing this again?

Right. Heart. Breaking. Pain. So much pain. Danny relaxed his grip and let Steve pull away. He tried not to pay attention to how cold and empty the absence of Steve's body made him feel.

They stared into each other's eyes for a very long time, until Steve snapped out of it and started moving towards the door. He hesitated a bit and made to move back, as if to kiss Danny goodbye, but he stopped. Both of them knew that if he did that they wouldn't be able to stop.

"I'll, uh, I'll call you, okay?" Steve sounded like it was taking him a lot of effort to restrain himself. A part of Danny was pleased that this seemed to be as hard for Steve as it was for him. Another, larger part, felt guilty, as if he was leading Steve on, because Danny should stop this. It was getting too intense, and he was already too involved and that's exactly what he didn't want, wasn't it?

"Yeah, okay," Danny replied automatically.

"Night, Danny."

"Night." Danny closed his eyes and waited for the sound of Steve's truck leaving until he opened them again. He pushed himself away from the wall and went to take a shower, in hopes that it would help him calm down.

Obviously, the minute he was under the stream of water his hand went down to touch himself and he couldn't stop thinking about Steve, and his lips and tongue doing the most amazing things to Danny's mouth, and what they would be able to do wrapped around his cock.

Steve's huge, hot hands roaming all over Danny's body. Hands that Danny couldn't help but imagine were the ones around his cock right now, stroking him with increasing speed.

Steve's hips pressed against Danny's, Danny feeling how hard Steve was, grinding against him. Steve's cock had felt so big and hot through the fabric of their pants and Danny imagined what it would be like to have it fill him completely, fucking him hard and fast.

The whole warmth of Steve surrounding him, making Danny feel wonderful and giddy in a way he hadn't felt in he didn't even know how long.

Then the image of Steve going home, getting into the shower and doing the same thing Danny was doing flashed through his head, and that was it, he was gone, Steve's name leaving his lips in a long, drawn out moan.

Fuck. Danny was screwed.

/~/~/

"Somebody looks happy." John appeared at the door, amused eyes studying Steve who was having his second cup of coffee.

"Morning to you, too, dad." Steve tried to contain his smile, but he knew he'd failed miserably.

"Don't go changing the subject."

"Uh, I wasn't."

"Oh, yes, you were. How was last night?"

"It was good." Steve tried for nonchalance.

"Good? You look like that and you try to tell me it was just _good_?"

"Yeah, it was good. We had fun."

"Did you have the x-rated kind of fun?"

"Dad!" Steve almost choked on his coffee, spilling all over the table. John let out an amused laugh and threw him a dishtowel to clean the mess.

"What? I'm just taking an interest in your life."

"No, you're being intrusive and awkward!"

"Oh, come on, I know you want to talk about it."

"No, I don't. I don't kiss and tell, okay? Especially not to my father."

"Oh, so there was kissing?"

"Jesus Christ," Steve muttered under his breath. His father was having way too much fun on his expense for his liking.

"Come on, Steve. I'm just curious. Did you finally get lucky?"

"No." Steve went for being firm, but realized that he wasn't winning this battle. McGarretts were known for their stubbornness and his father had been perfecting it for longer than Steve had. He let out a sigh. Better to just get it over with. "We just made out, okay?" Steve couldn't help the huge grin that took over his face as flashes of the previous night flooded his brain.

"Really?" John drew out the word in a very annoying way, sounding like he was enjoying himself a lot more than it was called for. "How interesting."

"Interesting? How is that interesting?"

"I'm just thinking." John smirked. "If just making out makes you grin like that, what's gonna happen when you do get lucky?"

"Well, you're never gonna find out because I'm not going to even cross paths with you for a week after it happens." Steve grumbled, getting his mug to go finish his coffee away from invasive, mocking parents.

"You seem very confident that it is going to happen."

Steve didn't dignify that with a response, but he realized that he was, in fact, confident. Because it was going to happen. It had to. He crossed the threshold of the kitchen door and headed for his bedroom.

"I'm happy for you, Son." Steve heard his father shout from the kitchen, still laughing.

/~/~/

Getting lucky took longer than Steve imagined. He'd seen plenty of Danny, but there hadn't been much more than making out. Worst part? Steve didn't care. He was surprised when he realized that, but it was the absolute truth. He enjoyed every minute he spent with Danny, no matter what they were doing. Of course, he'd known from the start that it wasn't just sexual attraction, he could tell from the very beginning that there was a lot more to Danny, but he didn't expect the emotional connection to become so much more important than any desire he might have. He didn't expect to care so much, to feel so strongly, in a way he never had about anyone. Which was kind of terrifying. He didn't have the best track record, having lost people he cared about in horrible ways. The last time had been... Well, he didn't want to think about the last time. Thinking about that only made him even more scared. He wasn't sure he wanted to risk going through that kind of trauma again. Granted, even if he lost Danny it was very unlikely that it would happen the same way, but still. The pain would probably be the same. Steve didn't want to think that it was probably already too late to back out.


	5. Chapter 5

_Thank you very, very much to everyone who's read the whole story and offered support in any way. I appreciate every single one of you, even if you've just been lurking. 3_

 _I hope you all enjoyed the story and that this chapter is a satisfying conclusion. Please let me know what you thought of the whole thing, either here or on tumblr ( whenamarshmallowmeetsahothead)._

 _There's some very light angst on this chapter and mild description of violence, but it's nothing we haven't seen on the show (literally, I briefly described a scene from episode 3.20)._

 _Enjoy! =)_

* * *

If Steve had any doubt that he might be too far gone, their next date proved it. They'd been going out for two months and they'd been keeping it casual and slow, pretty much being just friends who made out, maintaining Steve in a happy place of plausible deniability. Then Saturday night happened.

Danny had invited Steve over for dinner because he felt like cooking. He said he missed his ma's food and he couldn't cook for just one person, so would Steve just come over so it wouldn't go to waste – apparently plausible deniability went both ways. They had just finished a bottle of wine and were getting cozy on the couch, that contented feeling that only came after a good, hearty meal and nice quality alcohol taking over, when Danny started talking.

"I miss them, you know?"

"Hm?"

Danny had his head on Steve's shoulder and Steve was nuzzling Danny's hair.

"My family. I miss them. I don't get to see them nearly enough. Even talking on the phone isn't easy with the time difference."

Steve kissed the top of Danny's head and nuzzled his hair some more, not entirely sure what he could say to that.

"I mean, I don't regret coming here. Grace takes precedence and they all know that. Even though I miss everyone else something awful, I'd miss Grace a lot more. But sometimes I just wish I could have both."

"I'm sorry, D."

"It's okay. Well, it's not, but what can you do, right?"

Steve just pulled Danny closer and kept quiet, because there really wasn't anything he could say.

"I wish I could say I don't resent Rachel for all this, but I do. I mean, one thing is wanting a divorce, but forcing me to uproot my whole life? And it's not like she even stopped to think about it, you know? She just came after her new husband and left me with a terrible decision to make."

Steve tried not to pay too much attention to the pang in his gut, the one that understood what Danny wasn't saying. That he'd much rather not have come here. That he wouldn't care if he'd never met Steve. Steve knew that was unfair, things hadn't been easy for Danny and it's not like they'd been going out long to justify Danny thinking that Steve would make up for the whole thing, but still...

"And it's not just that. This whole thing... Sometimes I think I'll never get over it."

The pang in Steve's gut got a little bit harsher. Was this Danny trying to tell him he was still in love with his ex-wife? Was that why he didn't want anything serious?

"What do you mean?" Steve asked, not sure he wanted to know the answer.

Danny straightened up so he could look at Steve which only made Steve more worried. This was it, they were breaking up, weren't they? Not that there was even anything to break up, they'd never gotten serious, but still, it was over, wasn't it?

"I loved her, you know? I mean, I think I did. Maybe I still do? I honestly don't know anymore. But the point is, at the time I believed she was the real thing and that's why we got married. And look how that turned out. I don't think I've ever been more wrong about anything in my life. But at the time... At the time I had no reason to doubt it..."

Okay, Steve was getting very confused, because he had no idea what Danny's point was anymore.

"Danny, what are you trying to say?"

"That now I feel I can't trust my feelings. Because even if I'm feeling something good now, all I can see is how it could all end in pain. How it _will_ end in pain. And then I just want to run away. The better it gets, the faster I want to bolt. Because I don't want to go through all the pain again. I don't want to get invested and get my heart broken again."

Okay, things were starting to make a little more sense now. That explained why Danny was still keeping his distance. So this was a good thing. It meant Danny was really interested. Or... not. It was actually a terrible thing, because it meant Danny would never go any further than this. It meant Danny... was staring at Steve as if his eyes held the answers to all the questions in the universe.

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just... You." Danny's eyes softened and he reached out to cup Steve's jaw, rubbing his thumb over Steve's cheek, as if he were this precious thing that had to be handled with the utmost care. "You make me want to forget all of that."

Now Steve was just a little bit stunned, with no idea how to proceed. Partly because he was very confused and unsure of what Danny was trying to get at, and partly because the way Danny was looking at him and holding him was turning him into molten... well, he didn't know. Something that melted when it was feeling loved and appreciated.

"God, Steve, you... you just barrelled your way into my life, and you're so fucking stubborn and annoying. You have no idea how to take no for an answer and I hate you so much for that. But I'm also so fucking grateful. Because if you had listened to me I wouldn't have gotten to know the most remarkable person I've ever met. You're just so... I don't even know, you're just too good for words. And you have no idea how terrified that makes me. These past few months have been hell, because they've been the best I've had in I don't even know how long, but I've also never been so scared in my life. I don't think I could take getting my heart broken like that again. Even worse, I don't think I could take getting my heart broken by _you._ "

To say Steve was shocked beyond words was an understatement. Granted, he wasn't great at talking on the best of days, but this... He couldn't even remember how to think. He probably went out of it for a while, because when he focused on Danny again he had this sort of desperate look on his face, as if he thought he'd made some terrible mistake, and... Steve knew Danny was freaking out a little, probably thinking that he shouldn't have said any of what he had, and Steve desperately wanted to say something to make him feel better, but he was having some trouble getting his emotions in order. He didn't want to talk about this, hell, he'd tried not to even think about this since he'd gotten back, but Danny needed to know.

"Look, Steve, I..."

"No, Danny, wait."

"I shouldn't have-"

"No, just give me a sec, here. I just..."

"It's okay, you don't have to-"

"Would you just... Look, you said your piece, now let me say mine, alright?"

"Okay." Danny let out a breath that sounded to Steve like someone who was waiting for a death sentence.

"It's not what you think. Whatever you're thinking, that's not it. I just need to get my thoughts in order here."

"Okay, okay."

Steve took a deep breath.

"My best friend died."

"What?"

"Not just died, he got killed. I got him killed."

"Steve, I..." Danny had moved to cover Steve's forearm, gently rubbing his thumb over his skin.

"Just let me get through this. It'll make sense, I promise."

"Okay."

"I know you know there's something I haven't told you. I know you notice stuff, and I know you saw that there was something else behind me leaving the Navy."

Danny just nodded.

"I had been recruited to this secret op – which I can't tell you about because-"

"It's classified, I know."

"Yeah. Well, they asked for me personally, and they told me to choose somebody I trusted to accompany me. There's no one else I could think of, Freddie'd always be at the top of my list." Steve paused, swallowing the lump in his throat. "This guy, Danny... He was like a brother to me. I was the reason he made it through BUD/S, and honestly, he was the one that kept me going, too, even though I think he never knew that." Steve had to take another pause. This was the first time he was talking about all this and it was even harder than he thought it would be. "We were almost done with the mission. We had our target and we were ready to leave, but they saw us and Freddie got shot. We shot back, but there were too many of them. I wanted to get us out of there, but Freddie's wound was too bad... He knew he wasn't going to make it. He made me go, so we could complete the mission. He made me leave him there, so he could cover for me. I watched him die, through the rear view mirror. I saw him getting shot again and again, and he didn't stop shooting until he was dead. I couldn't move, I didn't want to move, the image was just stuck in my head, but I knew I had to go. I left him there. I had to leave his body there, and God knows what they did to him. He was dead, he left a wife and a kid, and it was all my fault."

"How was it..."

"I asked him to go with me. If I hadn't, he'd still be here. Hell, if I hadn't made him go through with the training he'd never have got hurt. He'd be happy, a family man, safe. It was all me. This is all on me."

"Steve, that's not true. You didn't force him to do anything, he-"

"No, Danny, just... Just don't. You can say whatever you want, it's not going to change anything. It's not going to change how I feel, it's not going to take this weight off my shoulders."

Danny just nodded again, even though he looked like he had a lot more to say.

"Anyway, I brought the target back and the mission was over. I tried to keep going as if nothing had happened. A month later I got another mission. We were there, right in the middle of executing the op when gunfire broke out and I... just froze. I heard all the gunshots and I couldn't do anything. The enemies were closing in on us and I was totally exposed. One of my team mates grabbed me and took me to cover. He practically threw me behind some rocks so he could get in position to shoot back. That's how I hit my head. He put himself at risk so he could get me outta there." Steve closed his eyes, trying to breathe, trying to focus. He hated thinking about all this. Hated how much he felt like he'd failed everyone. "After I left the hospital, already knowing about the damage to my eyesight, my CO asked to talk with me. He suggested that being discharged was the best option. He said the eye problem would be reason enough, it could in fact compromise any op, but he was even more worried about my psychological state. He thought it'd just be better if I left, before something worse happened."

Now Steve just waited. He'd never told anyone about that. Even his father thought the only reason for his discharge was his eyes. He couldn't bear anyone knowing that he'd been so weak and he was just waiting for Danny to take everything he'd said back, because there's no way he'd still think all that now that he knew.

Before Steve could think too much about it, Danny was tightening his hold on his arm and pulling him in. He wrapped his arms around Steve, one hand on the back of his head, gently pushing Steve to rest his head in the crook of Danny's neck. Steve went willingly, craving the comfort a lot more than he'd like to admit. Danny nuzzled Steve's hair, dropping small kisses on his temple and a part of Steve wanted to cry at how good it felt.

They stayed there, entwined in one another for a long time, until Steve relaxed enough to remember that he hadn't actually gotten to the point he wanted. He pulled back with some reluctance, kissing Danny softly before disentangling himself from Danny completely. He stared at Danny for a while before continuing.

"I mentioned right at the beginning that I don't have a mother."

"Yeah?" Danny looked confused, probably not knowing how everything was connected.

"Well, I know that gives the impression that she died, but that's not what happened. She left when I was fifteen. Just up and left. One day Mary and I came back from school and it was all gone. All her things, her clothes... The first thing we thought, as soon as it became clear what had happened, was what had we done wrong. Did she really hate us that much that she couldn't take us anymore? When my dad got home, he didn't say anything. He just looked around for a long time, with this vacant expression, then went into his room and didn't leave until the next day. He didn't say anything to us for almost a whole week. We thought he blamed us, that he was angry with us. It took me years to understand that it had nothing to do with me or Mary, but to be honest? I think there's this part of me, there's a kid who's still there, feeling abandoned and alone, who still hasn't quite got it yet. Who still thinks that no one will ever want him, that everyone will leave eventually."

Steve was almost afraid to look at Danny. This was all too much, he was saying too much, he didn't even know why. He never talked like that, he barely even thought about any of this, but for some reason being with Danny just made him want to open up. He wanted to be with Danny, more and more, but he wanted it to be real. He wanted to make Danny less concerned about their relationship, but if he did get Danny to let go, Steve wanted him to go in with his eyes open. Steve was a mess, and Danny deserved to know that. He deserved to know that Steve would never leave him like that, but there were other ways he could hurt Danny. If only because he was so broken.

When Steve chanced a glance up, he didn't see rejection or fear. Not even any sign that Danny wanted to run now more than he did before. He just saw pain. As if Danny could feel what he was feeling, what he'd felt at the time. There was no way he could know, but he still looked as if he shared all that hurt. And damn if that didn't make Steve lo- like Danny even more. Steve cleared his throat before all these thoughts got away from him

"My point is, I'm scared, too, Danny. I'm scared that either something horrible is going to happen like it did to Freddie, or one day you or anyone else I get attached to is going to leave like my mother did. And that makes me want to run away, too."

Danny was thoughtful for a very long time, not focusing on anything, until he stared right into Steve's eyes. He bit his lips, as if considering if he should say something or not, until he let out a sigh.

"Don't take this the wrong way, but... Why are you here?"

"What?"

"No, I mean... I want you here, I'm glad you are. But what's keeping you from running?"

Steve just sat there, not knowing how to answer that. He didn't know. He didn't know why he kept calling Danny, why he kept going on dates. Sure, one could say it was because he was still waiting for the sex, but that wasn't it. On the contrary, the fact that it hadn't happened yet should be all the more reason for him to have given up by now. That wasn't the reason and in that moment Steve realized that he couldn't keep lying to himself, couldn't keep trying to pretend.

"It's too late."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It's too late. I already care. A lot. I don't keep coming back because I find you hot or 'interesting'. I just wouldn't be able to find a reason not to come if I tried."

"But... what you said..."

And just like that, like a shot of lightning coursing through him, he knew.

"It doesn't matter anymore. Whatever happens, the result will be the same."

"Okay, I have no idea what you're trying to say here."

"It's gonna hurt anyway. If one of these things I said happens, yeah, it's going to be awful and it's going to hurt like hell, but if I leave? It's going to hurt, too. But it'll be so much worse because I'll know that the only reason it's hurting is because I wasn't brave enough to give it a try. I'll live a whole life of 'what if's', knowing I'll have no one else to blame but myself."

Danny eyed Steve, doubt clouding his features. Steve couldn't tell if Danny didn't believe what Steve had just said, or if he was trying to think if the same could apply to him. Steve hoped for the latter.

Danny's gaze remained on Steve, and Steve thought that he could see something slowly changing in Danny's eyes, even if he couldn't say what it was. Steve was still trying to figure out what it could all mean when Danny started leaning forward, closing the distance between them inch by inch until their lips touched and Danny gently moved his own against Steve's. Steve responded immediately, as he always did, it was just an automatic reaction – one never ignores Danny's lips, ever.

The kiss got more intense and Danny was getting closer, his hands roaming Steve's chest, slowly unbuttoning his shirt. Steve only caught up to what was happening when Danny was already half-way down and Steve pulled away.

"What are you doing?"

"I don't want to wait anymore."

"Are you... Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Unless you don't..." Danny trailed off, a nervous edge to his voice.

"Oh, no, I want it. C'mere."

Steve pulled Danny into another kiss, soon getting up from the couch pulling Danny up with him, never allowing their lips to separate. He started undoing Danny's shirt while they moved to the bedroom, while Danny finished undoing his.

Danny took his shirt off and got started on his pants. He had them open and had started pulling them down past his hips and Steve just stopped. He watched as Danny finished taking off his pants and underwear, rendered completely motionless. He was in awe of Danny, of such beauty displayed in front of him, a sight he'd never have enough words to describe. He felt his mouth go dry and his chest go warm. He'd never felt such an intense mixture of lust and fondness for anyone before.

"Are you gonna just stand there all night?"

Steve was pulled out of his trance by Danny's amused tone and was met by a beautiful, oh so beautiful smile when he focused on Danny's face again.

"Sorry, I..."

Steve couldn't continue because he didn't know what to say but also his mouth was too dry to form words.

"C'mere." Danny took a step forward and pulled Steve close by his belt loops. Steve leaned down to kiss Danny, his hands coming up to frame Danny's face, to help ground him, help him believe this was happening, that Danny was really there.

Steve felt something tugging at his shirt and it took him some time to realize that it was Danny trying to push it off his shoulders, Steve's pants already pooled around his ankles. He snapped out of it, helping Danny divest him of his shirt while he stepped out of his pants – their shoes and socks had already been lost even before they sat together on the couch to enjoy the rest of their wine.

Next thing Steve knew they were on the bed and he was half-way on top of Danny, his gaze running up and down Danny's body, and he knew it was probably filled with awe because that's how he was feeling. Soon Steve's fingers started following his gaze and he started stroking Danny softly, from his cheek, going down his neck, over his shoulders, down his chest, his stomach, all the way down to his hips and then back up again. When Steve got back to Danny's cheek, he let his fingers run through Danny's hair and his gaze was now locked with Danny's. Steve hoped it wasn't fanciful of him to imagine that the emotion in Danny's eyes was very similar to what Steve was feeling. Steve's fingers ran down to rest on the back of Danny's neck and he leaned in slowly, taking Danny's lips with his in a gentle, languid kiss. Danny's hand came up to hold Steve close, lightly caressing his hair and Danny let out a soft moan. Steve let his lips linger on Danny's, prolonging the kiss, trying to make this moment last.

When Danny started moving under Steve, arching his body looking for more contact, Steve let go and started his way back down Danny's body, now with his mouth. He took his time, savouring Danny, kissing and licking, letting his taste take over, the feel of Danny's soft and warm skin filling Steve's whole body. Steve didn't know how much time he spent that way, just getting acquainted with Danny's heavenly body.

"God, Steve, how much longer are you going to torture me?" Danny was writhing leisurely, lazy moans leaving his throat.

"I'm not torturing you. I'm enjoying myself. You don't devour a feast, Danny, you savour it."

"Well, this feast here is getting very desperate for more."

"Don't try to tell me you're not enjoying this, too. I know you like all the attention."

"I do, Steve, I do like the attention. But there are other parts of my body that would like some attention, too. They're feeling neglected."

"You're right. I'll correct this right away."

Danny let out a sigh of relief, while Steve moved all the way down to Danny's foot and started the same process, going all the way up his leg.

"Oh, god, Steve, you know that's not what I meant," Danny grunted in frustration.

"This is foreplay, Danny." Steve kept kissing and stroking Danny's leg while he spoke, moving to the other one when he reached the top. "Foreplay is good. It makes the final goal more enjoyable."

"Steve, we've been foreplaying for two months. I think we've done it enough."

"Not like this, we haven't. And foreplaying is not a word."

"I don't care. All I want is for you to move on."

Steve had reached Danny's groin now, and he nuzzled the soft hair on the base of Danny's cock, making him let out another sigh of relief, that came out somewhat shaky this time. Steve moved around wanting to make sure he felt every single inch of Danny's crotch and then he pulled up.

"Steve! Come on!"

Steve slithered up Danny's body, making sure they were touching the whole time, getting a little overwhelmed with the sensation of all that flesh in contact with his hot skin. The drawn out groan that came out of Danny just made the whole thing more intense. Steve's face was now level with Danny's and he stared into Danny's eyes with an intensity that he couldn't control if he wanted to, letting his body sag a little so he could feel all of Danny beneath him.

Steve leaned down to kiss Danny, slow and gentle at first, then deeper and deeper until all he knew was Danny and his lips and his tongue. Danny's hands were in Steve's hair, grabbing and pulling him down, Danny's body reaching up, rubbing against Steve. Steve pulled away before it all became too much.

"Danny?"

"Oh, god, what now?" Danny's growl of frustration made Steve laugh a little inside.

"Will you fuck me?"

Steve could feel the intense shudder that ran over Danny's body.

"Yes," was Danny's shaky reply.

"Where's..."

Danny shut his eyes tight and swallowed hard.

"Nightstand." Danny pointed with an unsteady hand. "First drawer."

Steve moved over to get what he needed, immediately missing Danny's heat. He came back with a bottle of lube and a condom, and dropped them beside Danny.

"I want you to prepare me."

"Okay." Danny's hoarse voice was barely audible. He nudged Steve's shoulder. "Move over."

Steve pulled away from Danny, moving to lie down on his stomach, but Danny wrapped a hand around his arm.

"No, the other way. I want to look at you. I want to see your face while you fall apart. When I make you come."

Now it was Steve's turn to shudder, Danny's words getting to him more than he would've expected.

It only took Danny's first finger breaching him for Steve to zone out. The intense feeling that started in his ass spreading out like waves that were taking over his whole body, until he could feel it from his toes to his fingertips to the top of his head. Every movement of Danny's finger inside Steve made him tingle all over, tiny little electric shocks sparking up in random parts of his body. Danny moved on to two fingers, then three and the sensations only increased. Steve couldn't stop the constant trembling, his body thrumming with the instinctive knowledge that it was Danny there with him, his smell reminding him of that even when his eyes were closed. That feeling surrounded Steve and made it all so much more intense Steve wasn't entirely sure he would be able to take it.

Then Danny started pushing into Steve and now he _was_ sure that he _couldn't_ take it, but it was okay, because that was when his conscious thought shut down and he was just an ethereal mass of feelings. Later on Steve would think how nothing had ever been like that. He'd never been with someone he cared so much about and it might be a cliche, but it was true that it made the entire experience completely different.

Steve almost felt like he was having an out-of-body experience. He didn't feel the bed under him anymore, all he could feel was Danny taking control of every single part of him, making him feel as if he was made of pure, blissful pleasure. Danny wrapped his hand around Steve's cock and Steve couldn't breathe. He wrapped his own hand around Danny's, intertwining their fingers and he felt himself about to break into a million pieces. If Danny wanted to watch him fall apart, he got it. Steve wasn't even aware of what was happening anymore until he felt himself come so hard his insides hurt and he thought he might pass out. Maybe he did.

Danny was now slumped over Steve, his warm breath on Steve's neck, a soft sigh leaving his lips. Steve tightened his arms around Danny and Danny 'hmmm'd, tightening his hold back. Danny peppered Steve's neck with sweet kisses and he pushed himself up, to look Steve in the eyes. Steve waited for him to say something but he didn't, so Steve just combed his fingers through Danny's hair, happy with the way it was now beautifully messy. Danny just smiled, closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

"God, Danny," Steve finally said, "I feel like I'll owe you forever for what you just did."

Danny huffed out a laugh. "What did I do?"

"This... you just... man, I don't think... this whole thing, it was just... it was out of this world, and I'm not entirely sure I'm not saying this literally in this case."

"Well, thank you, but I can assure you it was pretty amazing for me, too."

"No, you don't understand... god, really, I've never..."

"Steve." Danny cupped Steve's jaw, catching his attention. "I know. I was here, too. I felt it, too. And you know what? Even if I hadn't? Even if I hadn't felt a single thing? Your face... The way you looked, the sounds you made... It would still have made this one of the best experiences I've ever shared with another human being."

Steve didn't know what to say because he was taken over by way too many feelings and he couldn't breathe again. His chest was so full of something he couldn't identify, something he'd never felt before that terrified the living shit out of him, but it also made him feel like the happiest, luckiest man alive. He pulled Danny down for a kiss, trying to tell him in actions what he thought could never be put into words. Judging by the way Danny melted on top of him, he got it.

/~/~/

It took some time, but Steve eventually convinced Danny to go have dinner at his house with his father. Steve wasn't looking forward to it any more than Danny was, but John just wouldn't let it go, so Steve thought it better they just surrender.

Dinner itself had gone okay. Danny and John had talked a little bit about work, but not much because both of them wanted to relax more than anything, so soon the conversation turned to more interesting subjects like sports, movies and music. John and Danny actually had similar tastes, much to Steve's chagrin, and they were tending to monopolize the conversation. Every now and then Steve would get bored and try to change the subject but it was always useless. At least they were getting along, he thought, it could be a lot worse if they hated each other.

They were finishing their beers still at the dinner table, feeling too lazy to take the few steps outside to enjoy the warm evening.

"I got to say, though, I've never seen Steve this happy," John started, alternating looking between Steve and Danny. "And I'm sure it's all because of you, Danny. I really have to thank you for that."

"No, Captain, I..." Danny started, clearly embarrassed, but was interrupted.

"Ah-ah, what did I tell you? When you're at my home I'm John."

"Okay... John..." Danny was looking down, and there was a pink tinge on his cheekbones. "I don't know about that... I mean..."

"Oh, no, no, don't be modest, Danny. The difference is clear. You're a very good addition to Steve's life. And his sex life, too, I'd think. Steve's always thought you'd be great in bed and I'm sure he wasn't wrong."

Both Steve and Danny choked on their beers and both their faces were burning red.

"Dad! Jesus, why do you always have to be like that?"

"What? It was a compliment." John's look of angelic innocence just made Steve even more frustrated.

"I'm really, really sorry about this." Steve turned to Danny, pleading, hoping he could keep Danny from bolting. Steve was sure he was going to, any second now, and he wouldn't blame Danny if he did.

Danny didn't even reply, apparently not having gained the ability to form words back. This only increased Steve's panic.

"Dad, you do realize that I actually like this guy? I'd like to keep him around, but that won't happen if you scare him off."

John took a long look at Danny, who might have been squirming a little, and turned to Steve.

"Son, have you seen the way this man looks at you? I don't think he's going anywhere any time soon."

Steve risked a glance at Danny, terrified of what he might find there, but Danny seemed calmer now.

"You know what, he's actually right about that one," Danny said in a ridiculously soft voice, gazing into Steve's eyes with what could only be called a gooey expression on his face.

Steve just stared back at Danny, getting completely lost in those gorgeous blue eyes.

"Okay, I guess that's my cue to leave," John said, getting up from the table. "I'm going to watch a movie. When you guys go to Steve's room just remember to keep it quiet. The walls are very thin here and even though I take an interest in my son's life, I'm not that curious."

Steve's groan came from deep within his gut. He let his head fall, cursing the moment he decided to convince Danny to come. He finally looked up and found Danny staring at him, that loving expression still on his face. Steve relaxed and let out a soft laugh.

"Your place?" Steve asked Danny.

"My place." Danny got up, Steve following behind.

"Bye, dad, I'll see you tomorrow," Steve called from the door.

"You're leaving so soon? Was it something I said?"

"Yes!" Steve and Danny chorused.

When the door was closed behind them, Steve pulled Danny into his arms.

"I'm so sorry. I had no idea he was going to be this bad."

"It's okay." Danny shrugged, wrapping his arms around Steve's waist and pulling him closer. "It could be a lot worse. At least he _was_ trying to be nice."

"You're probably just being polite, but thank you." Steve leaned down to brush his lips over Danny's.

"I'm not," Danny said when they pulled apart. "But even if I were, you'd make it all worth it. There's not much I can think of that could scare me off. I'm in, Steve. I'm all in."

Steve felt a face-splitting grin spread over his face. He leaned in again and murmured softly when he was almost touching Danny's lips. "Me, too."


End file.
